After our trip we like to compare how much we've spent with how much we'd budgeted before going. For this trip we were able to save money by using vouchers for hotels and flights given to us by relatives (thanks guys!). Otherwise, we would have spent pretty much bang on the budget. So, sadly Amsterdam really is as expensive as we predicted, but we think it's well worth the money to experience this amazing city!

Getting to Amsterdam

1. Flights

The cheapest flights are almost always from London and, luckily for me, Will’s local airport is Southend. This meant we were able to easily travel to Will’s house and commute to the airport. Our flights from easyjet cost us £60 each. 

Luton had similar prices but is much more difficult to get to. However, if you are travelling to London for your flights we recommend flying from Heathrow instead. The tickets are £70 but we think it’s worth paying the extra for ease of travel. Heathrow is connected to the underground and train line and all the major coach companies have a route that stops here.

If you can, try and visit during an off peak time, such as during school term time. This will reduce your flight costs as companies tend to hike up the prices when they know demand will be high! We also recommend travelling to London (or your closest major city) as flight prices will be higher at smaller airports and you’re less likely to be able to get a direct flight.

2. Coach

If you’re struggling to find affordable flights then the coach might be the perfect alternative for you! 

Firstly, you’ll need to get to London as most of the coach services travelling to Europe only depart from here. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of getting to London for your coach when comparing travel options.

Secondly, you’ll need lots of time. The downside of coach travel is the time it takes; a flight to Amsterdam from London is 1 hour whereas a coach is 11 hours! But, if you have plenty of time to spare, it’s a great way to save some money. 

We recommend checking out FlixBus as they have regular departures each day. If you choose the off-peak times then you can get a return for £50 each, including 1 hold luggage and 1 carry-on. We also recommend double checking that the journey you select is a direct route; no one wants to spend longer than necessary on a coach!

3. Train

The quickest and simplest method is to take the Eurostar from London St Pancras if you want to take the train. The best price we could find was on Oui, which offers £90 return for a long-weekend (Friday to Monday) using a 16-25 railcard, with a travel time of just under 4 hours. Since Schiphol airport is a hub for the European zone, you will have many more options with your flight times than with the train which only departs to Amsterdam 5 times a day.

Both the price and duration are more than the alternative flights, so we don’t recommend this as a budget option. However, if you are watching your carbon footprint then Eurostar return tickets are only £30 more than a flight return and much quicker than the coach alternative!

4. Ferry

The easiest way by ferry to get to Amsterdam is to board at the ferry port in Newcastle where the operator of the service is DFDS. Getting to Newcastle could be a problem for a lot of travellers as the Northern Rail service in England is notorious for being unreliable!

 Another problem with this service is the fact that you have to buy a cabin on the ferry for your journey as the duration of the crossing is over 16 hours. This bumps the price to over £300! With these three factors considered, we don’t think the ferry is a feasible option for many families let alone students!

Getting around in Amsterdam

1. Walking

We always recommend walking as the best way to get around a city. It’s completely free! It also is a great opportunity to discover interesting nooks and crooks that you would have missed if you were on public transport. Who knows, you might discover your favourite spot in the whole city when you decide to just have a look at what's down the next street or around the corner!

If you are walking as your main mode of transport then we recommend planning your itinerary to make sure you put things that are close together on the same day. No matter how fit you are, you always end up doing more steps than you think when you are sightseeing. It’s not just walking between places you need to consider, there’s all that wandering around museums and old castles too!

2. Rent Bikes

If you want to cover a lot of ground whilst in Amsterdam then bicycles are definitely the way to go! It works out cheaper than public transport if you want to visit two or more places within one day and they provide bike locks so you can safely park up wherever you choose.

We enjoyed this mode of transport so much that we’ve actually included it as an activity in our Things to Do page and all the information and our recommendations can be found there!

3. Tram, Bus and Metro

The trams, buses and metro are all very evident within the city centre and between them, cover all of the city! So, if you’re tired of walking and not a cyclist then this is probably the best option for you.

GVB offers an €8 day ticket. We think this is good value for money if you plan on making several trips each day, otherwise a single journey ticket will be cheaper. We recommend checking any buses you take are run by GVB otherwise the fare won’t be included in your day ticket.

4. Train

Amsterdam did not let us down on what has come to be our European expectation of public transport; all the services were incredibly efficient and always on time!

We think the train is the best option to use to get into the city centre from the airport when you arrive and depart. Conveniently, there is a station at the airport and the wait time is only a few minutes between trains. Tickets cost €5 each way. 

Other than this, we only recommend taking the train if you are travelling in from accommodation outside of the city centre as it’s an expensive option for short distances - so if you’re just hoping around the city we recommend taking the tram, buses or metro instead. 

Accommodation

After a lot of research (trying to minimise our budget) we found what we think are the two cheapest accommodation options.

1. Ibis Budget at Schipol Airport and commute into the centre

We stayed at the Ibis Budget hotel at Schiphol airport (not to be confused with Ibis or Ibis Styles!). This is a great option if you’re not a plan-acholic like me as the prices don’t increase for last minute bookings and there always seems to be availability. The price per night is £50 per room. The rooms are exactly what you’d expect for the price: small and compact but clean and have a private bathroom. 

Across the road from the hotel is a bus station where you can buy a GVB day ticket for Euro8. However, no buses from here go direct to Amsterdam Centraal Station so depending on where you are planning to spend your day it might be worth going to the airport to catch a train into the central station in Amsterdam. From the hotel there is a free shuttle bus to and from the airport where you can catch either a bus, the metro or the train. We took the shuttle bus to the airport and then the train each day to get into the city centre and it took us about 30mins and cost us €5 each way. 

We calculated this would cost a total of £33.50 per night/person for two people sharing a room and including return transport to the city centre (or £58.30 for a solo traveller). 

2. Stay at a central hotel and vow to walk everywhere

The other option would be to pay a bit more to stay in the centre and reduce your transport costs. By looking on hotel comparison websites you can find rooms costing £70-£80 a night.

These often have a private bathroom and can include breakfast.  

If you want to use this option for your accommodation whilst in Amsterdam then we recommend you book at least one month in advance as there are limited hotels offering these prices (literally 3 or 4). 

If you do manage to walk everywhere whilst in the city then this option would cost a total of £35-£40 per night for two people sharing a room or £70-£80 for an individual.

Airbnb alternatives:

If you happen to have Airbnb credit to spend or just prefer the more personal feel of staying at an Airbnb we calculated the costs of two different options below:

1. Stay in the outskirts and commute

When doing research, we found that Airbnb options outside of the centre cost about £60 a night. This would be for a double room with a shared bathroom. You would then have to take a bus, the metro or a tram to get into the centre, adding €8 for the GVB day ticket, meaning your total cost would be £38.50 for two people sharing a room (or £68.50 for one person). If you choose this option just make sure the Airbnb you book is within easy walking distance of either a bus or tram stop, or a metro station, to make commuting into the centre as hassle free as possible. 

2. Stay in the centre and walk

This works out to be the most expensive option out of all the ones we looked at. We were only able to find central rooms on Airbnb for about £100 a night (£50 per person if there are two of you) for a double room with a shared bathroom. If you look regularly to see if any new listings have been added or book far enough in advance then you may be able to get this price down and get yourself a cosy central place to stay for a bargain price!

For our top recommendations of things to do in Amsterdam, check out our Amsterdam Things to Do page!